taking my slash off the gay turf
So, there's a recent meta post on why slash isn't gay that has me grinding my teeth so badly I choose to make my own post rather than head over there, because at least then if I burst into flames I won't be rudely doing it on someone else's turf.
I'm aware that I'm bringing a lot of my own baggage into this, but if the definition of gay includes "defined identity, sexual preference, embracing of a label and belonging to a certain community," then why should slash be gay? Why should real people be gay (using this definition of the word) unless they want to?
I self-identify as a bisexual or as queer, when I have to, though mostly I try to avoid the question, since there is no definite answer as far as I'm concerned. Basically, I like to shag girls. I don't, at this particular point in my life, want to shag boys, but I'm not ruling it out for the future.
The extent to which I allow my girl-shagging to influence such things as my politics, religion, friends, crushes, entertainment, clothes, relationships or life history is entirely my own business. I have no interest in trying to be "gay enough" for anyone, especially since the whole liking boys issue would disqualify me anyway.
So from this perspective, sure, most of my slash isn't "gay". If I don't want to force those restrictions on myself, why would I want to do it for Wesley and Gunn? Not to mention Remus and Sirius, Merry and Pippin, and other characters I've written over the years. In fact, I'd argue that anyone who writes Merry and Pippin as gay according to this definition of the term is definitely missing a point or two in characterisation.
If people want to write their characters as being gay as in belonging to a gay subculture, great. But it doesn't have jack shit to do with the quality of the fic or the authenticy of the characters' emotions.
I'm aware that I'm bringing a lot of my own baggage into this, but if the definition of gay includes "defined identity, sexual preference, embracing of a label and belonging to a certain community," then why should slash be gay? Why should real people be gay (using this definition of the word) unless they want to?
I self-identify as a bisexual or as queer, when I have to, though mostly I try to avoid the question, since there is no definite answer as far as I'm concerned. Basically, I like to shag girls. I don't, at this particular point in my life, want to shag boys, but I'm not ruling it out for the future.
The extent to which I allow my girl-shagging to influence such things as my politics, religion, friends, crushes, entertainment, clothes, relationships or life history is entirely my own business. I have no interest in trying to be "gay enough" for anyone, especially since the whole liking boys issue would disqualify me anyway.
So from this perspective, sure, most of my slash isn't "gay". If I don't want to force those restrictions on myself, why would I want to do it for Wesley and Gunn? Not to mention Remus and Sirius, Merry and Pippin, and other characters I've written over the years. In fact, I'd argue that anyone who writes Merry and Pippin as gay according to this definition of the term is definitely missing a point or two in characterisation.
If people want to write their characters as being gay as in belonging to a gay subculture, great. But it doesn't have jack shit to do with the quality of the fic or the authenticy of the characters' emotions.